Early Homo

Question 1

What does it mean to be homo?

Answer 1

• Upright posture and bipedal gait
• Brain size (doesn’t continuously increase) can have homo with smaller brain size.
• Dexterity to fashion primitive tools
• ?Speech

Question 2

What was a form of Homo older than H. habilis that was discovered by Leakey?

Answer 2

• H. rudolphensis (1972)
• 1.9 Ma.
• Separate from H.habilis

Question 3

What do variations in modern humans possibly show about the past?

Answer 3

• Huge variation in modern humans
• Must take into account when looking at fossils

Question 4

What is the variation between rudolfensis and habilis?

Answer 4

• Mainly seen in the skulls
• Rudolfensis: Larger / broader. Flatter face

Question 5

What is Lucy’s child?

Answer 5

• Homo habilis partial skeleton
• Discovered in 1986
• 1.85-1.75 Ma (Olduvai Gorge)
• More ape-like than lucy
• H.erectus is only 200,000 years younger than lucy’s child

Question 6

What were early homo’s like?

Answer 6

• Early homo generally has a larger brain
• Smaller face and teeth
• Predominantly vegetarian - small amounts of meat probs scavenged
• Capable of basic tool making
• Not all homo were committed bipeds

Question 7

Tools used by early Homo

Answer 7

• Used stones that flake to make sharp edges
• Obsidian
• At least 12 different types made and found occurring in large quantities

Question 8

Concept of home basing

Answer 8

• Input - exit
• Establish for each site how things got there ?
• Washed in by flood / carried in by hominid etc